Following a poor performance against Massachusetts in the A-10 tournament, Temple fans were a bit concerned how the Owls would come out against a talented NC State in their opening NCAA tournament game. Temple answered the bell in a big way with a dominant first half on their way to a 4-point victory over the Wolfpack. Now, the Owls will have to repeat that effort against a much better opponent in #1 seed, Indiana.
Temple has experienced mixed results against top tier teams this season, beating Syracuse, Saint Louis, and VCU, losing close games to Kansas and Butler, and getting blown out by Duke. The Hoosiers feature elite talent with two players projected to go in the top 10 of the NBA draft, in Cody Zeller (averaging 16.7 points and 8.1 rebounds) and Victor Oladipo (13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds). On top of their lottery prospects, the Hoosiers have a deep roster with seniors Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls bringing added scoring and leadership. The pair represent the biggest threats from behind the arc for Indiana (49.2% and 46.2%, respectively).
Like the Owls’ opponent on Friday, Indiana has a great offense with a strong interior presence in Zeller. Temple struggled against C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell down low against the Wolfpack and will have to do a better job against a superior scorer like Zeller. The Hoosiers sport the number one most efficient offense in the country with the 7th best field goal percentage nationally at 48.6%, including the second best shooting percentage from three at 41.1%. Indiana is also third best in the country at getting to the foul line with 25.3 free throws attempted per game, led by Cody Zeller who ranks 19th nationally in made free throws per game. The Hoosiers can score from inside and out, hitting threes at an elite rate and aggressively getting to the basket to earn trips to the foul line. This game will be the toughest defensive task for the Owls all season.
Unlike NC State though, Indiana actually plays defense and does so at a high level. Oladipo is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, averaging 2.2 steals per game, but also providing the type of lock-down defense you can not account for with stats. The battle between Oladipo and Khalif Wyatt when the Owls have the ball will be the premier match-up to watch during the game. The Hoosiers also have the 44th best three point shooting defense at 30.9%, which will be key against the effective three-point attack of the Owls.
Temple will certainly have their hands full with the Hoosiers. Oladipo is one of the few players in the country who has both the strength and quickness to deal with Wyatt on the perimeter. The Owls have not performed exceptionally well on the defensive end and Indiana has an effective, balanced attack that should be able to score at will. As well as the Owls have played over the last few weeks, I believe their season ends Sunday in Dayton.
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